Follower ring



. I S. W. MANNING FOLLOWER RING F iled D60. 10 1921 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTO R ATTORNEY .May 1.5, .1923.

s. w. MANNING FOLLOWER RING Filed Dec, 10 1921 2 Sheets Shet 2 llNlTE asaeis rarest @FFEQE.

STEPHEN W. MANNING, OF ALTOONA, PENNSYLVANIA.

FOLLDWER RING.

Application filed December 10, 1921. Serial no, 521,518.

To all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I, STEPHEN W. MAN- NING, a citizen of the United States, residing at Altoona, in the county of Blair and State of Pennsylvania, have invented new and useful Improvements in Follower Rings, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to devices for use in forming glass caskets and other large articles of glass, and more particularly to what I term a follower ring.

One of the main objects of the invention is to provide a follower ring which fits snugly about the movable member of the mold used in forming the article, this ring being capable of relatively great expansion and contraction so as to prevent breakage of the ring. A further object is to provide a ring of the character stated of simple construction and operation which may be readily produced at small cost, and in which the sections of the ring are normally held in close contact with each other. Further objects will appear from the detailed description.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a sectional view showing the ring as applied; a

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the spring plate'and the follower ring;

Figure 3 is an underneath view of, the ring; 7

Figure 4 is a section taken substantially on line H of Figure 3;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary detail of the portion of the ring contained within the lines 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Figure 6 is an enlarged fragmentary detail of the'connection between two of the I ring sections.

It is the present practice in forming caskets and similar large objects of pressed glass to placethe molten glass in a'lower mold provided with a suitable recess, after which an upper mold. is forced into the "glass from the upper edge of the space between the two molds so as to insure proper forming of the articleto be produced. The

'rings' atpresent in use are cast in a single 'plece. As'these rings fit snugly about the upper or movable mold, as above described,

each of the side sections 1.

and as this mold is heated to a high temperature by the molten glass and expands at a greater rate than the follower ring, these rings are frequently broken by expansion of the upper mold thus necessitating frequent renewing ofthe rings which materially increases the cost of production. The primary object of this invention is to provide a follower ring which will normally fit snugly about the upper mold 'section for the purpose above specified, this ring being capable of expanding in accordance with expansion of the mold so as to eliminate breakage of the ring.

The ring includes side sections 1, end sections 2, and arcuate corner sections 3 Sections 1, 2 and 3 are provided, at their inner edges, with downwardly projecting flanges 1, 2 and 3 respectively. These flanges project below top flanges 1 2 and 3 of sections 1, Qand 3, respectively and form, in effect. a frame which is adapted to fit snugly about upper mold A as in Figure 1. Side pieces or sections 1 are bored and threaded at 1 through top flanges 1 for reception of securing screws 4 which pass through transversely extending slots 5 provided in a spring plate 6 mounted above the follower ring. This spring plate is of known construction and is attached to the pressin a known manner so as to permit proper movement of the press head for operating mold A while exerting downward pressure on the follower ring so as to hold the latter pressedagainst the upper face of lower mold B. Each corner piece 3 is also bored and threaded for reception of a securing screw which passes through an opening 7 at each corner of spring plate 6, these openings being of greater diameter than the se curing screws so as to permit limited universal movement in a horizontal plane of the corner pieces or sections 3. Spring plate 6 is further provided with depending lugs 8 in which. are secured dowel pins 9 which fit into corresponding bores 10 provided in web elements 11 formed on the underface of This provides simple and eflicient means for connecting the follower ring to the spring plate for movement therewith while also insuring that the follower ring is held in proper relation to mold A and permitting expansion and contraction of the ring.

Each of the corner. pieces or sections 3 is provided at each end, on its underface, with snugly about mold section A.

a transversely extending flange 12. v One flange 12 of each of the corner pieces 3 is secured, at one end of the follower ring, to the adjacent web element 11 of side piece 1 by means of a bolt 13 and nut 14, and a dowel pin 15. The other end flange 12 of one of the corner pieces 3 is secured, in a similar manner, to an end flange 1.6 provided at one end of end piece 2. A bolt 17 is passed through flange 12 provided at the other end of endpiece 2, and an expansion coil spring 18 is mounted about this bolt andis confinedbetween a washer 19 held against outward movement by a nut 20 threaded on the outer end of the bolt and a plate 21 provided with a slot extending longitudinally of the plate through. which the bolt extends. Adjacent toits innerend plate 21 is provided with a substantially V-shaped recess 22extending transversely of the plate, this recess receiving the apex of a V-shaped hearing member 23 which is pressed against the plate by a nut 24 threaded onto a bolt 25 which passes through flanges 16 and 12 and through a slot in the plate. A pin 26 is secured in section 3 and projects between flange 12 and plate 21,this pin beingposi- .tioned closely adjacent to bolt 25. The pin ,26 provides a fulcrum for plate 21 which acts as aleve'r, spring 18 exerting pressure on the outer end of the-plate so as to force the lnne end of I the plate in a dlrection away from flange 12 thus forcing corner section 3 and end [section 2 toward each other and normally holding the flanges 16 and, 12 in close contact. To, insure rectilineal movement ofsections 2 and 3, a dowel pin. 27 is secured through flange 16' and fits snugly through a corresponding opening provided through 40 i flange 12, this dowel pin co-operating with bolt 25 to holdthe sections in proper relation toeach other. At the other end of the ring both of the side pieces 1. are. connected to the adjacent corner pieces in the same manner as the first described corner plece 1s connected to the end'pieceyand the end section '2 is connected to one of the corner pieces in the same manner. ;Tl11S provides a rlng which is capable of expanding both transversely and longitudinally so as to accommodate expansion of the upper mold A. Due

to. the lever; construction employed, the

springs '18 exert great pressure so as to normally hold the sections of the ring in contact with ,each othersothat the ring fits As one of the side sections 1 is rigidlycon ne'cted at one endto one of the corner see- I tions, and this corner section is rigidly connectedto the adjacent end section, these three pieces can, if desired, be formed in tegral'ly, though ordinarily I-prefer to use the construction illustrated as being more uniform andperniitting ready replacement {of broken parts. I As indicated herein,

expansion of the mold.

changes in details of construction and operation of the dlfferent parts of the inven'tlon may be 'resorted to without departing from follower ringcapable ofrelatively great ex pansion, means for normally holding the plate and the ring permltting free expansion of the latter. j a

3.111 a device of the character described, a plurality of, sections forming astructure adapted to fit about a mold, and means for ring contracted, andconnections between the H connecting said sections and for normally holding them together, said means permitting the sections to be forced apart to accommodate expansion of the-mold.

4. In a device of the character described,"

a plurality of sections forming a-strueture adapted to fit about a mold, and means-for connecting said sections and for forcing the; same toward each other, saidmeansper- I i mittingmovement of the sections away from each'other to accommodate expansion'oftlie vmold. Y

5."In a device of the character described, p a plurality of sections formlng. a str'ucture adapted to fit'about a mold, means for connecting said sections permitting movement of the sectionstoward and away fromeach other, and resilient means for forcingmhe SGCtlOhStOWELICl each other and for PGYZlTlltt ng the sections to separate to ace mmodate 6. In a device'of the of the sections toward and away froin. each other, and combined spring and.leveiimeans for forcing the sections toward each ,o thcl and for permitting thesections toseparate to accommodate expansion ofthe more...

character, described,- a pluralityof sections forming a structure adapted to fit about a mold,.mea ns for connect'ing said sections permitting movement.

7. In a device of the characterdescribed 1 a plurality of sections forming a substantially rectangular structure adapted toffit about a similarlyshaped mold, and connections between sa d sections for forcing .i'ghe permitting rectilinear movement of the sections away from each other to accpmmodate j expansion of the mold.v

same, toward each other, said "connections 8. In a, deviceof the characterdescribed, I i

,a plurality of sections forminga substantially rectangular' structure. adapted tofit about a similarly shaped mold, and connections between said sections for forcing the same toward each other, said connections permitting rectilinear movement of the sections away from each other both longitu-' 10 to form a substantially rectangular structure adapted to fit about a similarly shaped mold, certain of the sections being provided at their abutting ends With flanges, a lever plate adjacent to one of the flanges, a bolt passing through the flanges and inserted loosely through said plate, a bearing member secured on the bolt and bearing against the outer face of the plate, a fixed element forming a fulcrum for the plate beyond said bearing member, a bolt passing through the flange and inserted loosely through the plate beyond the fulcrum element, an abutment member secured on the second mentioned bolt, and an expansion spring mounted about the second mentioned bolt and confine-d between said abutment member and the plate.

In testimony whereof I aflix my signature.

STEPHEN W. MANNING. 

